International Collegiate Agriculture Leadership or I-Cal is sponsoring a trip for 12 college students to Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam through National Collegiate FFA. NC State sophomore from Madison County Daniel Alvey was selected through an application process for this year’s tour:

“We had to submit an application to national FFA. After they were reviewed, candidates were chosen to be interviewed in the next round. From that, the final I-Cal team was selected.”

Alvey explaisn that he’s the only selected from North Carolina this year:

“The team ranges from California, Virginia to North Carolina. I’m the only one from North Carolina. Few states have more than one member on the team.”

Being outside the US learning about other country’s ag systems is an aspect of the trip that Alvey is particularly looking forward to:

“I have never been out of the country. I’m very excited about not only the international experience but seeing how agriculture is incorporated into other countries and how it differs from what we do here in America. We will really be looking at how trade operates between different countries. I’m very excited brining this experience back to NC State and having a new perspective on international agriculture.”

And it’s not only farming that the I-CAL group will be seeing:

“We will be touring several different sectors of the industry, including poultry and dairy. We’ll have the opportunity to meet industry experts such as the multi-national grain trading company and Bloomburg Routers ag news department."

Alvey says that FFA is known as a high school program, but it doesn’t stop there:

“The FFA is known as an organization for high school students, but many people don’t know that there is a lot of opportunity for students after high school. This is one of the many programs that collegiate FFA offers on a national level. It’s a great organization for students at many levels.”

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